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HOLYOKE – In some places, the return of birds or other animals signals a seasonal passage, an event that plays out here with the appearance on Northampton Street of chairs, milk crates, cinder blocks, overturned buckets, crime scene tape and other stuff.

But this year, the tradition of saving sidewalk spots to see the St. Patrick’s Parade – set for Sunday – is causing headaches related to the annual extravaganza’s booming popularity.

Officials are urging people who have put out rows of chairs and other spot-reservers to leave room for wheelchairs and pedestrians.

Otherwise, public works crews over the next few days will haul away the items to join the dozen chairs and other pieces removed this week deemed to be obstructing access, officials said.

“We got a bunch of complaints that the sidewalks were being blocked by chairs and furniture and folks that walked and used wheelchairs couldn’t get through,” said William D. Fuqua, general superintendent of the Department of Public Works.

Furniture and other sight-line savers began showing up on Northampton Street sidewalks last week, the earliest pre-parade jockeying in memory, according to Fuqua and others.

People need to be sure at least three feet of space is available on the sidewalk for a wheelchair or walker to maneuver, he said.

“It is a public way. We want to make it as accessible as possible to everyone,” Fuqua said.

“It’s something we hope will be resolvable. Don’t bring the living room down there,” he said.

Those who have had furniture hauled away can retrieve it at the public works facility, 63 Canal St., he said.

Anthony Jon Gibbs rolled his wheelchair down the sidewalk past plastic chairs tied together with rope on Northampton Street near Elmwood Avenue. The parade-viewing stuff on the sidewalk isn’t a problem, he said.

“That’s fine,” said Gibbs, 41, of Maplecrest Circle.

The real problem, he said, is working the wheelchair onto the older sidewalks that lack a slope.

Michael J. Pijar, 60, of West Glen Street, pushed a shopping cart down the sidewalk and said walking is fine despite the parade furniture.

“It’s not a problem. In fact, that’s my green chair there,” Pijar said, with the point of a finger.

“I will say this is the first year I’ve seen chairs out this early,” he said.

Pijar said perhaps people were confused about the parade date.

Whatever the reason, Joseph Dupre, of 2074 Northampton St., said his family put out chairs in front of their home Monday after other furniture appeared there last week.

“They’ve been out so early. That’s why we put ours out,” Dupre said.

Paula A. Burke, of Lawler Street, called to say she has 75 people coming over Sunday to watch the parade and no place from which to watch it.

Her family has been putting out chairs for four decades in front of the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home at 2049 Northampton St. But public works officials told her they were removed this week not only to create access space, but because WGBY-57, the public television station that broadcasts the parade, needed the space for its cameras, she said.

“Now we have no place to sit,” Burke said.

Efforts to reach a WGBY official Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Raymond H. Feyre, St. Patrick’s Parade Committee spokesman, said the committee trusts city officials when it comes to safety and access decisions regarding removal of furniture on the parade route.

“The Parade Committee works very closely with the mayor’s office and the DPW. The parade route is really under their control for safety,” Feyre said.

Interesting dynamic No. 1: Not all the furniture used to reserve a spot belongs to the home or business where it’s been placed.

Reports have been related of pickup trucks last week stopping and furniture being unloaded, Fuqua said.

“It’s coming from all over,” he said.

Interesting dynamic No. 2: Space created Monday by crews removing furniture considered sidewalk blockage was refilled with chairs and other stuff Tuesday, he said.

“We really don’t want to be doing this. We’ve got a whole lot of other things to be doing,” Fuqua said.